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Blue Jackets game gives Devils Blue-print for success |
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By Gilles Moncour
After one period of the Devils’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio’s capital last Tuesday night, the Devils looked to be in big trouble. On the final night of a six-day road trip, one game after their worst loss of the year to the lowly Coyotes, the Devils were getting pushed around and on their heels against Tortorella’s rested and energetic team. Yes, the Devils did take a 1-0 lead through Zajac’s first goal (and point) of the season, but for the rest of the period the Blue Jackets were coming at them in waves as the visitors were on their heels, lucky to go into intermission tied at one.
But instead of coming out for the second period with a circle-the-wagons mentality, the Devils re-focused on the speed game, found their skating legs and some open ice. They countered the Blue Jackets shots with even more rushes and chances, eventually outscoring Columbus in the period 2-0. In the third, Jackets pressed again but the Devils still fired back with 12 more shots on net and another goal for a 4-1 win. This game provided a blueprint for what the Devils must do to continue their early-season success through to the spring…. to wit:
If the Devils make the playoffs, Cory Schneider must be in the Vezina conversation; As has been the case most of the season, he was focused, quick, and unflappable on Tuesday. True, the CBJ did not get many second chances (to Tortorella’s bemusement), but much of that was due to Schneider himself, as he controlled his rebounds and scooped up just about everything with his glove hand… if there were any house flies inside Nationwide Arena seeking a reprieve from the Columbus chill, I’m sure they would have been snatched up by Cory’s left mitt as well.
Sami Vatanen, with his first Devil’s practice behind him, really played his game Tuesday: he was a revelation in the defensive zone — quick to the puck, using a brisk first stride and low center of gravity to outmuscle bigger players in the corners, and aggressively meeting the danger everywhere in the zone as Greene made sure that defensive coverage stayed strong. Indeed, the partnership between Greene and Vatanen looks very strong already, as Greene’s superior positioning and subtle style is an ideal counterpoint to Vatanen’s movement and energy. Yes, the rest of the defense had their ups and downs — and Santini still seems to be struggling with confidence, as evidenced by his near-fatal giveaway with seconds left in the second period — but if the top pairing can eat up 22-25 quality minutes a night, you can bet the Devs will be right there at season’s end.
Taylor Hall was the most noticeable skater in the arena and was again the catalyst for the top line, which helped turned the game around with their skating and offensive zone interplay. When the dynamic Hall is skating as he was on Tuesday, he looks the part of one of the top players in the league, giving room for the rookies — Bratt and Hischier — to display their considerable talents and make the plays and passes the Devils need to thrive.
As for the other lines, they all played their part. Zajac has taken quite a while to get back up to speed after his pectoral injury, and with the Devils’ zigzag travel schedule limiting practices, he has had to use actual games to get in shape. With Henrique gone, the Devil’s badly need Travis to play as he did in Columbus, leading the team in shots, making plays, blocking shots, and not turning the puck over. Gibbons and Coleman did their usual yeoman work on the PK, while on this night, Stefan Noesen really stepped up and had several excellent chances to go with his goal and assist.
Of course there were still a few issues despite the one-sided scoreline: the Devils were lucky not to be down 2-3 goals after their lackluster start, and surely Coach Hynes can come up with a better solution than a struggling Jimmy Hayes on the number one power play. The “bottom four” defenseman also need to be sorted out, as neither Butcher-Santini nor Moore-Severson looked all that assured. A few days off and work on the new defensive order will hopefully lead to better cohesion.
Overall, however, the Devils proved they can play with the league’s big boys. If they can duplicate their feat on Friday, they will take command of the Metro Division and serve notice that their fall run of quality play is will not be taking a Holiday break.
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Previous Trivia answers:
Scott Stevens was the only defenseman to lead the Devils in scoring, with an impressive 78 points in 1993-4, just before Jacques Lemaire instructed him to cross the red line only in emergency circumstances! He never scored more than 31 points in ten more seasons with the club.
While John Madden leads the Devils in all-time shorthanded goals with 17, Patrik Elias has the most shorthanded points in club history, with 33 to Madden’s 27. Henrique is third with 24.
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This Week’s Trivia:
What Finnish Devil has scored the most points wearing the Red and Black (or Green).
(Bonus trivia: which of the following names — yes, only one — is spelled incorrectly?)
No Googling.
Tapio Levo
Janne Ojanen
Reijo Ruotsalainen
Tuomo Rutuu
Anssi Salmela
Esa Tikkanen
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